The Glory and the Wrath
by Loyal Eskamoe
Summary: Buffy and the gang receive some unexpected help.


A while back, a guy called Angstrom Levy attempted a little experiment. He wanted to expand his knowledge of what he called the Multiverse. The Multiverse is, as it's name implies, a multitude of separate and alternate universes. Other dimensions if you will. And the reason Angstrom Levy wished to expand his knowledge of said universes, was because of his power. He can travel to any dimension/ alternate universe he wanted.

Pretty cool, huh?

Well it had it's drawbacks. See, although Angstrom could go to another dimension, he remained in the same place he shifted. For example, if he opened a portal to another dimension in front of a Starbucks, he'd end up in front of that dimension's Starbucks. The danger was, if that Starbucks had never been built because the ground it would've been built on was destroyed during the invasion of the Setties from planet Settia, Angstrom would just appear in midair. Fortunately for him, it was only about seven feet. Not enough to kill him, but certainly enough to drive the point home. His solution was to create a portal, stick his head though, and see if it was safe for the rest to follow. It's a good plan, but it still wouldn't help if the planet he was sticking his head in contained a male killing virus or a planet full of zombie super-heroes.

So what he decided to do was collect as many of his alternates, other versions of himself, as possible and create a device that would copy their knowledge into his brain. Thus, he would know all they knew about their respective universes. He would be free to explore them all at his whim.

Pretty cool, huh?

Unfortunately for Angstrom, he hired two super villains that went by the name of The Mauler Twins to create the device for him. Interesting side note, they weren't really twins. One was a clone the other created, though they don't know which is which. Despite their name, they're really quite intelligent what with the cloning of himself and all. Back to the point. The twins managed to create the device for Angstrom and it was ready for use.

Sounds good, right?

Wrong. On the day of the experiment, the twins were spotted by satellite and the government sent one of their most effective heroes to apprehend them.

A young man by the name of Mark Grayson, code named Invincible. Mark is half alien. His father spent the better part of two decades as Omni-Man: Defender of Democracy! He basically Supermaned his way across the planet taking care of whatever the threat of the day was. He was apprised of the various threats by a government liaison, who paid him stupid amounts of cash for doing what he was already doing. The reason he needed the government was because they had satellites and they could keep watch on a global scale. After all, it wasn't like he had super hearing or telescopic vision or anything.

Long story short, Omni-Man could no longer perform his duties, so his son, Mark, took over. He was doing a good job of it too.

Back to the Mauler Twins. Mark, Invincible, interrupted Angstrom Levy's experiment during a crucial moment. Angstrom removed the helmet that was downloading the information into his brain in an effort to stop the fight between the Mauler Twins and Invincible, causing something to happen that I have no idea how to explain it's so far beyond me. Angstrom was irrevocably altered in the explosion. He was now grotesque! His brains ran all the way down his back!

Yuck.

Seeking medical attention, Angstrom left his native dimension in search of one with advanced medicinal sciences. He vowed revenge on young Mark. He promised brutal and slow retribution on the one he perceived to have wronged him. And so he returned.

Angstrom tortured and brutalized Mrs. Grayson, Mark's mother, and threatened to do the same to his baby brother. Naturally Mark had a few words to say about that. Angstrom was prepared though, and used his abilities to send Mark to other dimensions in an effort to wear him out.

-

Xander looked up at the crudely built tower.

"Shpadoinkle!" He exclaimed.

"What is that?" Anya asked.

"It's the comical, yet versatile catch phrase from the musical/horror movie, "Cannibal the Musical." Xander answered.

"I was referring to the gigantic tower that stands shakily before us."

"Oh." He shrugged. "I have no idea."

Giles closed his eyes and counted to ten. "That must be where the portal will open." he said testily.

Buffy nodded. "Will you're up."

"Do you need anything?" Giles asked her.

"Maybe some courage?" Spike pulled out his flask and held out to her. "Uh, the real kind. Thanks though." Spike nods and takes a swig for himself before putting it away.

-

Tara wandered into the tower's construction site. She was muttering to herself. Glory saw her and grabbed the unbalanced witch.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Glory looked around. "Minions! Why is the Slayer's witch-bitch here!"

Suddenly, Willow is right next to them. "She's with me." Willow grabbed Glory and Tara by the heads and they all screamed as blue and black lightning flickered around them. Bright blue light streamed from Glory's head to Tara's.

The three of them explode and got sent in all different directions. Will slammed into a pile of wood, Tara hit a brick wall, Glory only goes a few feet away. She landed on her back and lost one of her fabulous shoes.

"Ugh." The hell-goddess commented. "What did that bitch hit me with?" She sat up and looked around. Her minions gathered at her side.

"You look lovely!" One commented.

"Your hair is truly awe inspiring. To remain so perfect in such harsh environs? Astounding Mistress!" Another says.

"I have your shoe, oh symmetrical and pulchritudinous one." It held it up for her.

Glory stood up and kicked off the other shoe. "Get away from me you disgusting flesh-bags!" She clutched her head. "Ugh! The witch. She made a hole in me. I need a brain."

"Take mine, oh groove-tastic one!" The minion bowed.

Glory looked at it with disgust. "I need a BRAIN dumb-ass!" She stumbled forward. "I need a brain. Big day. Need a brain." She looked up and scoffed. "I suppose I could always take yours."

Buffy stood before her and smiled. Her hands were clasped behind her back. The expression on her face was truly awesome.

"Come and get it."

Glory had taken only two steps when, suddenly, something fell from the sky, crushing the slayer beneath it. Glory looked down at the mess nonplussed. There were wires and metal sticking out from under a kid dressed in a yellow, blue and black set of long underwear. It was Invincible. It took Glory all of three seconds to realize the wires and stuff was coming from the slayer.

"HEY!" She exclaimed. "Wow. The slayer's a robot!" She glanced around. "Did everybody else know the slayer was a robot?"

"Ow." The kid said. "That actually hurt." He sat up. "Are you okay?" He asked Glory. "I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" Invincible stood up and looked around. He saw two minions battling a guy in a leather duster.

"Stand fast! Kill anyone who dares approach! This will be our day of glory!" One of the things said.

"Well punned." The other noticed appreciatively,

The beast shrugged. "It just called to me." An arrow thudded into it's chest and it fell over. The guy in the duster pumped his fist in triumph and reloaded his crossbow.

"Oh my God!" The kid exclaimed. "What's going on here!"

"I'll tell you." Glory said. "It's lunch." She thrusts her hands forwards, attempting to feed on the young man before her. Her fingers slammed into the side of his head, but do not go through. In fact, she broke almost all of her nails.

"What the hell was that?" Invincible asked. "Were you attacking me?"

"My nails!" Glory decked him across the face and he goes flying. Out of nowhere, Glory got hit by a demolition ball, sending HER flying as well. Bricks and steel and concrete go flying everywhere as Glory crashed into a partially constructed building.

Willow woke up feeling pretty groggy. "Tara?" She asked weakly. Getting up, Willow sees all the violence and horror before her as though it was from far away. She needed to find Tara. The spell must have worked. She saw her. She was crumpled in front of a wall and her arm hung at an odd angle.

"Tara!" Willow shouted and ran to her lover. She checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one. The blonde was out for the count, but at least she was alive. Willow's resolve face came into play. No force on earth would make her leave this spot.

Xander and Anya stood back to back. Fighting off minions left and right with a sword and a quip. Well, Xander was quipping. Anya was too busy muttering about bunnies. It seemed to give her fuel for battle.

Giles and Spike were herding the human crazies away from harm. Spike was wondering what the hell he was doing there when he should be hitting things. Giles was wondering what the hell he was doing there with Spike of all people.

Buffy had come out from her cover when Invincible landed on the Buffy-bot. She clutched Olaf's Hammer and headed to where Glory had landed. Her eyes widened as the enraged hell-goddess launched into the air with a mighty leap. She landed before the slayer, ground cracking beneath her.

"You're going to die now Blondie." She said with all her hate and anger. Buffy readied the Hammer.

Glory got two steps before she was leveled by a blue and black and yellow blur.

"What's your problem!" Invincible demanded of the stunned Glory. "Are you a viltumite? Is that it?" He glanced at Buffy. "You'd better get out of here lady. This could get ugly."

"Who're you calling ugly, Skinny?" Glory demanded as she launched a haymaker that could fell a mountain. Mark took it. He didn't move an inch. The ground crumbled beneath him and shock wave knocked Buffy off of her feet, but Invincible lived up to his name.

The battle stopped. Everyone, from the remaining minions, to the Scoobies, to the crazies. They all stopped to stare at he who has done the impossible. He survived a full on attack from a goddess. Not that Buffy didn't survive one, she just didn't have a whole bunch of people around her when she did. Nor did she stand her ground. She kinda just flew through the air and then was in a lot of pain.

Glory asked the question that was on everybody's mind. (Except the crazies.) "Who are you?"

"I'm Invincible." He said with a cocksure grin.

Glory shook her head. "No. I don't mean, "What are you?," I meant, "Who are you?"

"No, I know. My that's my name."

"Oh." And Glory hit him again.

Buffy recovered from her shock and took advantage of her foe's distraction. She slammed Olaf's Hammer into the wretched Hell-goddess, taking grim satisfaction as her deceptively beautiful face contorted in pain.

Glory fell to her knees and shrieked in frustration. "Why!" She cried. "Why won't you let me go home?"

Invincible halted his attack and his head cocked curiously. "Home?" He questioned. "Are you trying to get back to Viltrum? Why don't you just fly there?"

Both Glory and Buffy looked at him like he was mentally deficient.

"What?" He asked defensively.

Glory's watch beeped. "It's almost time you stupid animals! I have to get up there!" She stood up, shoved the two heroes aside, and ran towards the tower.

"What's going on?" Invincible demanded.

Buffy ran past him. "No time!" She shouted. "Glory can't get to the top! No matter what the cost!"

Invincible shrugged. "Okay." He flew very quickly at Glory, and grabbed the desperate hell-goddess by the armpits. "Up you go."

"NO!" Glory shrieked as she struggled vainly against Invincible's iron grip. "NOOOOOOO!"

Buffy stopped and stared at the flying pair. "Wow." She said simply.

Xander glanced up. "Buffy look!" He pointed. Buffy followed his gaze and she saw what looked like a portal opening up. Glory too saw this and struggled even harder. She begged, pleaded, threatened, and promised anything and everything, but Invincible did not let go.

"Oh God." Buffy said when she saw the disturbance. Again, the battle stopped as all the conscious and alive players stared in awe at the shimmering and devastating phenomenon. Buffy's eyes widened when energy crackled and sparked from it, striking the ground and leaving destruction in it's wake. Those who looked into the fearsome spectacle were witness to an incredible sight.

Demons from other dimensions, creatures so different it boggled the mind. They saw mighty and terrifying beasts. Dragons, chimera, gryphons, and other monsters that you only had nightmares about.

Then they saw her. A blond haired girl. She fell into the vortex, spasmming as the violent energies struck her. Then she was gone, and the portal with her.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Glory wailed despondently. Invincible floated back down to the ground. He let go of Glory and she fell limply into the muck and the dirt. Sobbing. "Why? Why can't I go home?" She asked piteously.

Giles came up to her. "Because it would doom us all." He told her sadly. "If you were to breach the dimensional walls, It would've destroyed all reality as we know it." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I'll kill you." The hell-goddess hissed. "I'll kill you all! You will suffer as I suffer. You will feel the pain I feel, living in this pissant world!" She rose, her fists clenched tight enough to make coals into diamonds. "I hate you." Glory venomously whispered. "So much."

She struck out, fists moving faster than the human eye could see, eager to turn Giles into a red mist. She would have too, if not for Invincible. Using his super-human reflexes, the son of Omni-man, greatest of the Viltrum warriors, deflected Glory's mighty blow.

"Knock it off!" He told her. "Jeez! You almost killed that guy!" Invincible narrowed his eyes. "You're not from Viltrum." He realized. "What are you lady?"

"She is the Goddess, Glorificus." Giles said shakily, fully aware how close he was to oblivion. "Uh, she, uh, well that is, she comes from a rather nasty hell dimension."

Glory sneered. "And I would be there now if it weren't for you and your stupid slayer!"

Buffy glared. "You look fat in that dress."

"Bitch!"

"Cow!"

"Whore!"

"Wench!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Ooh. Good one Slayer." He said sarcastically.

Glory gave Buffy a smug expression. "See? Even your pet vampire thinks you're stupid."

"Oi! Not a pet!"

Buffy hit Glory with her Hammer.

Invincible caught her and restrained her. "Wait. She's a freaking GOD?" He asked.

Giles was confused. "Well, aren't you one as well?"

"Dude! So not a god!" Invincible grimaced while tightening his grip on an ever growing struggle to break free of him.

Xander walked up to him. "So what are you?"

Anya glared at her fiancee in alarm. "Xander! Stay away from the unbelievably powerful and evil goddess!" She hissed, then grinned with exaggerated cheer when Glory gave her the evil eye.

He waved Anya's concern off, and repeated his question.

"I'm an alien." Invincible thought for a second. "Half an alien." he amended.

"Cool."

Willow brought over a weak, but conscious Tara. "Hey guys. Did we win?" She stared at the angry hell-goddess worriedly. "We did win didn't we?"

Giles sighed. Well, we managed to prevent Glory from entering the portal at the prophesied time." He chuckled ruefully. "Now we must find some way to deal with her."

Glory focused her attentions on Tara. The young witch noticed this, and shuddered. She remembered it. The being crazy. It was awful. Her only reason for getting through it was Willow. She was like brief rays of sun during a perpetual hurricane.

Suddenly, Glory was able to knock Invincible back. She dove for her previous victim, but was stopped by Spike. The vampire pulled the girl back and saved her life.

Buffy was on her in an instant, hitting Glory with the Hammer over, and over, and over again. Invincible, too, was getting in on the hitting. He rained punch after punch, eager to help defend an injured woman.

"STOP!" Glory cried. "You can't do this to me!" She stated. "I'm a freaking GOD!"

The enraged goddess slugged Buffy in the face, knocking her off balance. While simultaneously kicking Invincible in the gonads. Poor Invincible had not been kicked there (So it'll hurt anyways.) since he was twelve. The young lad clutched his privates protectively as he soared up into the sky.

Giles, Spike and Xander all flinched in sympathy. Anya smiled nostalgically.

Invincible gained control of his momentum and rocketed towards the now fleeing Glory. In truth, Buffy really wouldn't mind it if the hell-skank ran away and never returned. But that wasn't going to happen. They needed a way to finish her now. The Scoobies needed to find a weakness. She would be back, and as much as Buffy hated to admit it, they would've been screwed if it weren't for Invincible's timely intervention.

Her slayer eyes could just barely detect his blur as he streaked towards their foe. Buffy sent a quick and thankful prayer to whomever was listening that he showed up.

So naturally, as soon as the prayer was finished, a green portal opened and swallowed their savior whole.

The gang all looked at the spot where he disappeared, then back to Glory. She'd stopped to stand her ground against her assailant and had witnessed his disappearance. She smiled wickedly.

I think Buffy summed it up nicely when she gripped her Hammer and said, "Fuck."

-

Mark crashed into the water at an amazing speed. He broke surface and looked around in shock. Above him floated another green portal. He flew up and entered it.

He appeared back in his house.

"Have a good time?" Angstrom asked.

Mark glared at him. If only he'd waited just a few seconds more!

Angstrom smiled as if he could read Mark's thoughts. "I pulled you out because I don't just want you physically weary. I want your heart to hurt too. Those people died back there. Just now." He shook his head sadly. "If only someone was there to help them."

Mark looked down at his hurt mother and sobbing brother. He thought of the brave people who fought for their lives, and lost. He screamed and charged his hated enemy.

A green portal opened and Mark Grayson was lost to it.


End file.
